Best Things of the Day

Well, I didn't catch a single fish (other than the bait fish I netted) so, I will hope to do better tomorrow as a lonely Flounder still sits on a platter waiting to be grilled.  I tried a different fishing technique as described by a man (perhaps my age) and his son who came fishing the same point I had gotten to first yesterday (where I had caught the Redfish and many other fish).  The father actually gave me a couple jig heads (red) of some 3/8 ounce -- said mine seemed to be less weight than would be ideal.  I am guessing that they were targeting the spotted sea Trout (and that was mostly what they had been catching in front and around me).

So, I gave it a try today and had not one single bite on the jig head -- while I had a few strikes on my usual rig (but missed them all since I had been keeping my attention on the lighter jig head rig).  PooBah!

I actually couldn't get to the same location I had been yesterday as the point was already taken and the one next to it as well so, I had to settle farther from the ocean than I had hoped to be.  The action seemed to be there on those last two points before the ocean surf reached into Nassau Sound.

Later, in the middle of the afternoon, a young couple (Tom and Victoria) backed their pickup next to me and their little daughter (Cloie) toddled from their pickup and came directly to me with a little toy that had a red spinner on it and handed it to me -- she must have realized I had been spinning my wheels there.  Such a cutie!..Then, she brought me a little bucket with a couple little shoveling devices and she showed me how to dig in the sand -- she was so precious -- you just wouldn't believe it.

They had just moved to the area from Destin, Florida and were loving the area (I didn't ask them what they thought was wrong with Santa Rosa Island -- it's beautiful there).  Tom tried casting for some bait but, seemed to be a bit rusty so I gave him a couple tips but, he still had no luck getting any fish so, I let them have some of mine.  You should have seen little Cloie digging her hands into the bucket to touch/fish out some of the fish -- as she played with the aerator and bubbles.

Shortly after their arrival, I decided to head back to my RV and let the twins have some time outside -- I had fished my allotted time around the low-tide and there was always tomorrow.  And I needed to clean and lubricate my small reel -- saltwater had gummed it up badly.

I left Tom and Victoria what bait I had and then gave him a jump start (his battery was dead) and the music began to play as Cloie sat under an umbrella in a small folding chair -- I bid them farewell and hope to see them again before I leave the area.  I suspect, I will (and hope so).

A First for Tiger and Molly

Yesterday (October 20th), I had both Tiger and Molly outside on leashes at the same time -- had both leashes roped to the nearest tree (where I usually had Tiger tied after doing a walk about).  Got Molly out there first in the usual harness and leash.  After I thought she was somewhat adjusted to being out, I then outfitted Tiger in a different style harness and had to re-size it to fit the big guy (had hoped that particular harness would have been better for Molly but, she hadn't taken to it on previous attempts -- as well as all the others I've tried too).

There wasn't any interaction between the two of them and Tiger (being his usual self) tested me numerous times in an attempt to get me to walk him around and away from Molly but, I didn't do that until Molly wanted to go back in.  As I sat out there with them, I pondered the next progression -- of adding some kind of line where the leashes could be fixed and they could move back and forth with some feeling of freedom.  I had seen this in Fiesta Key where a couple had three cats and they would climb up, down and around on their picnic table and other outdoor furniture -- though they had been doing that with their cats since they were kittens.  Somewhat different when you have a full grown cat like Tiger -- used to that freedom he had in the backyard at Dungeness Lane.

For now, I am just happy I could get them out at the same time instead of having one of them crying at the screen door when the other one is out with me.  With three more weeks to go in my stay here, I hope this can happen again at least once or twice -- we'll see.

Why Not To Go Fishing

Well, the main reason for deciding that I shouldn't go fishing today or tomorrow (possibly Sunday too) revolves around the time of the low tides falling after sunset or in the wee hours of the early morning (before sunrise).  That would put the best fishing time somewhere around an hour before sunset and fishing in the dark -- not my thing.

So, the day started with watching my stocks in the early hours after the market opened.  Then, a leisurely and late breakfast followed by some further tinkering with the cable TV hookup (required a digital adapter and separate remote with programming headaches) -- probably something to do with the age of this campground and Comcast being involved.  Wasn't successful getting the Comcast remote to turn off my TV so, have to use both remotes when I want to watch a college football game -- Life's tough out here you know.

Next, I fiddled with my new GPS device (a TomTom unit) and got it positioned on the dash of my RV so it will be ready when we roll out of here on November 12th -- heading for Panama City Beach.  I played with  the device some and plotted a possible route to the nearest Bank of America in Fernandina Beach then, decided to head that way and maybe drive around the town with my TomTom leading the way (I already knew the route mentally too from looking on Google).  The drive over to BofA was rather uneventful until I got close and the GPS would have had me turning into a Wells Fargo bank (a block or two shy of the BofA).

I checked with one of the tellers to be sure the address I had entered was correct so, TomTom was a bit DumDum on this first use.  I went farther up A1A after taking care of things at the bank and decided I should check out the Fort Clinch State Park on the north end of the island.  Directional signage seemed to be adequate for getting me there but, when I turned onto Atlantic Avenue and went a couple blocks, I decided to pull over and see if TomTom could give me some good directions.  As it turned out, TomTom had me do a u-turn and go north on 14th Street until I crossed over a bridge and TomTom wanted me to turn in at a barricaded back entrance to the park.  I then looked up the address on TomTom and entered that (2601 Atlantic Avenue).  TomTom still wanted me to go through the barricaded entrance and that just wasn't going to work.

I returned to Atlantic Avenue and headed east (where I had been headed before) to the entrance to the park.  I decided not to spend the $4 to get in and instead went east until Atlantic Avenue met Fletcher Ave (A1A along the coast).  When I saw a public park at the beach, I parked and went onto the beach (after using the restroom).  Not much to see on the beach and very few people since it is Friday so, I hopped back in the Jeep and continued down the coast passing some really beautiful homes on the way to Amelia Plantation -- some looked like Frank Lloyd Wright could have designed them.  Forgot my camera (DumDum).

No Green Flash

When I reached a familiar light I had passed through a number of times on my way to and from Amelia Island Park, I made a right and headed back to the RV -- though I was sorely tempted to go fishing at that point.  After having some lunch and checking the stock market again, I thought of taking a nap but, since it was such a beautiful day -- Why Not Go Fishing!

Even though high tide was around 1:18 p.m., I thought maybe the fact the tide was turning out around 4:00 p.m. that it might be worth trying for a couple hours.  Much of the beach was still wet from the high tide and I cruised past spots I had fished previously until I saw the rocks of a jetty I had been told about and then, some signs banning vehicles from going any farther onto the beach.  I made a u-turn (without TomTom's direction -- left him in the RV), and returned to the last area I had fished the last two times I had been there -- parked considerably farther from the water's edge and got the minimal amount of gear out and positioned.

Good Reason for going Fishing.

After a couple casts with my big surf casting rig, I hooked another snag like the other day but, this time I broke the line trying to pull it in.  I didn't bother re-rigging the line and just let it sit in the pole support while I used the smaller pole and reel.  This allowed me to walk the beach with the drifting baited hooks and sinker. I had over a dozen and a half mullet in the bucket and an aerator pumping bubbles trying to keep them alive and I decided maybe I needed some smaller mullet instead of the ones I had netted.  After tossing the casting net a few times, I had some smaller ones in the bucket and then there was a huge hit on my pole and I set the hook on something big -- it nearly doubled over my pole and I ran the beach back and forth and played with the drag (which didn't seem to be working).  This fish wasn't jumping and it was making some strong pulls but, the drag wasn't letting it run so, I feared it would break the line and disappear.  Finally, the drag popped a little and I could let the fish run a little and played him until I thought he had tired out.  The strength of the fish had me thinking shark or big drum -- turned out to be a big Red Drum or Redfish -- some 27 inches in length.

Another Reason

What a beautiful fish and what fun.  Only one fish caught and I couldn't ask for anything better than this one.  Had a harder time cleaning this fish than bringing him in -- has huge scales (dime size to quarter size).  I think the larger scales could actually be used as guitar picks.  If I ever catch another of these beautiful fish, I will definitely release it -- after taking its picture, of course.  This fish almost looked golden in color instead of red and its head was nearly 7 inches long.

Slim Sliver of a Silver Moon

Beautiful Sunset

That was the light I saw in the sky yesterday evening when I made the turn to go directly west from Amelia Island instead of the bright, sunny spotlight in my eyes when I made the return trip the night before -- easier drive except for the darkness along the canopy covered section of road on the island.  The spanish moss hanging from the trees make the drive on Buccaneer Trail/Amelia Road a beautiful drive during the daylight hours but, at night it seems more of a haunting drive (appropriate for the month of October, I guess).  Low tide was at 5:31 p.m. so, I fished until the sun went down and left me just enough light to maneuver off the beach -- me being the next to last 4-wheeler to leave the beach.

Yesterday again provided a fun filled few hours of fishing and I again brought home a couple more fish (one nice blue and another 15" spotted sea trout).  This time, I only had to throw my casting net once into the stream of mullet and had a couple dozen of the little bait fish to put on my hooks (first into the bucket).  Someone else had taken up the point I had fished the day before so, I parked beyond them a little closer to the ocean.  The threat of rain all day long seemed to dissipate when I arrived at the water's edge and the sun shined through a clearing sky and kept me comfortably warm the whole time there.

Conch shells from Nassau Sound

Since this spot was closer to the ocean, I thought the bed of sea grass would be more accessible with my big surf casting rig but, the current seemed to be stronger than the day before so, I found myself spending a lot of time retrieving my drifting lines -- one after the other as they seemed to be drifting parallel to the beach.  The first hour didn't produce much of anything except for the re-positioning exercise -- and one huge snag in the sea grass that resulted in me pulling in one small plant (I did find a nice conch shell at the same time in the shallows as I attempted to walk the beach and retrieve my gear with the plant attached).

Beautiful Colors

As the outgoing tide eased up and the wave action of the ocean began to creep into the mouth of the river, the action started on my poles.  I missed a couple good strikes and had to re-bait some of the empty hooks and then I finally caught one of those hungry Blues.  It soon became a game of which pole to hold and which one to put in the pole support and at times I would be holding both poles at the same time in an attempt to feel the bites and set the hook.  It seemed Murphy's Law (or some other crazy law) took over because whichever pole I chose to put in the support would be the one that got the next hit or bite -- and another missed fish.  However, I did manage to bring in another one of those Ladyfish (member of the Tarpon family)  and it danced along the top of the water during the fight -- lost one of them just before bringing the second one all the way in.  The first one danced a couple times and then spit the hook.  I let the second one go.

Soon after that, I caught that nice sea trout (kept him) and then a little Flounder (some 12 inches at most so let him go).  As the sun was going down, I cleaned the two fish I decided to keep and still tried to watch one of the poles (missed a couple more fish) after putting most of my other gear in the Jeep -- got myself ready to make the dash back up the beach.  I should have taken a picture of the fish before cleaning them as they seemed to lose some of their beauty (and the brown spots on the trout) -- next time.

I won't be going back this evening as the low tide will be right at sunset and fishing for another hour after would be way more difficult to even see what I'm doing or where I might be driving -- need to clean those headlights on the Jeep.  Another good reason for not fishing in the dark came floundering through the shallow waters along the beach where I had been fishing -- a six or seven foot shark came thrashing through at sunset feeding on the little stream of mullet near the water's edge.  That had me watching more closely as I rinsed off some of my gear and emptied that bucket with the fish guts and dead mullet.

Driving Into the 21st Century

Before heading out to fish yesterday, a small package arrived via UPS -- from AMEX Rewards.  I ordered it Sunday and, at that time, I was informed to allow 14 days for the delivery.  Too bad USPS doesn't deliver in such a timely fashion -- they could surely take a lesson from UPS (but, maybe they are protected by the Dodd Frank bill -- too big to fail).

Anyway, I now have a co-pilot (a TomTom) and I can even have "Homer Simpson's" voice tell me where to go (that should make it easier for me to blame it on him if I make a bad turn from now on).  First, this dummy has to get some practice using it in the Jeep -- now, where shall I go (maybe Sawgrass)?  Or to the driving range somewhere nearby??  Hmmmm.  Maybe I can even drive at night too with this thing.

At least this saves me from advertising and interviewing applicants for the co-pilots position (and Tiger hasn't stepped up to take that seat -- at least when the diesel engine is running).  Other times he takes that seat after I have warmed it up and after I get up and turn my back.

The Freezer Fill-up

Well, it wasn't as "Abundantly Sunny" yesterday as forecast but, after the fun of the day before, it was too hard to resist -- though it turned out to be much windier than I had expected (guess we're somewhat protected way back here in Yulee).  Had to 4-wheel around another vehicle that got mired down at the entrance to the beach -- didn't have 4-wheel drive and they were using their mats from the floor to stick under the wheels to inch toward the firm sand beyond.

I decided to go a little farther along the beach toward the breakers coming in from the ocean and settled on the second point from where I had been the day before.  Bait fish (mullet) were not quite as abundant there so, I had to cast more than a few times before finally netting some dozen or more -- I felt that should be more than  enough to get me started after getting everything pulled from the Jeep and setup on the sand (just beyond the still receding tide).  The wind played havoc with the rope of the net as I let it dangle on the beach near my feet as I twirled and cast away from the wind.  The wind even tried to blow my chair and beach towel into the water but, a small cooler of ice and Gatorades managed to keep it in place.

Besides having to deal with the wind and lack of bait-fish, a couple anglers came encroaching on the space I already had cast into from the point.  They first started throwing their casting net out on the point and into a small tidal pool between both of the two points -- finally the older guy took note of my presence and asked where I had cast (which I pointed out to him).  Still they fished the point for a little while as they waded the shallow waters.  Both of them finally moved around me and toward the ocean but, the older guy still managed to get tangled in one of my lines and it took about five minutes just to clear the mess.

After the old man and the younger guy finally cleared the area near me, I began to get some bites and over the next couple of hours, I managed to catch three nice blues (one was probably the biggest blue I have ever caught).  During the time of catching the blues, I thought for sure the speckled sea trout would have moved away from the area for fear of being attacked or eaten by the more voracious fish -- proved not to be true and I also caught three nice sea trout (missed a number of other strikes too).  I also noticed with the low tide that there seemed to be a large bed of seaweed near where I had been making my longest casts -- just where the sea trout love to hide out and where I hooked all three.

The last trout was only about twelve inches so, I released him as I had also been cleaning the other fish when I hooked him and was preparing to leave around sunset (so I could still see the beach while maneuvering back to the access point).  I left as the beach was pretty much cleared and the only ones left fishing were the Blue Heron and another white heron or Egret (which disappeared when I approached in my Jeep).

Didn't take any pictures of the catch as I decided to clean them at the beach and leave the scraps for the sea gulls and other birds (no fish cleaning station here at the campground either).  If I go back today, I will probably stay just a little later since the low tide will be at 5:31 and an hour after seems to be some of the better times to fish -- as the tide is turning back in.  I also  hope too, to avoid the direct sun glare in my windshield like last night (hard to see heading directly west into it).

Amelia Island - First "Keepers"

Yesterday, was really my first day of fishing the waters off Amelia Island Park (the southern tip of the island) even though my exploratory trip on Saturday resulted in me fishing for a couple hours (and only catching one Spot and a Horseshoe crab).  I picked up a 5 gallon bucket, made a few pole supports from a 10 ft. piece of pvc pipe ($6 versus $16 for one at Walmart), bought some steel leaders, more hooks and sinkers, and a bag of ice from a store on the island (in case I should catch anything worth keeping).

After paying my $2 to get into the park, I took my Jeep onto the beach and headed toward the ocean -- arrived around 2:00 p.m. and backed the Jeep toward the river short of the next sand bar that was closest to the ocean and its pounding waves (probably caused by the recent storms here).  When I fished some on Saturday, I had used only the "Fish Bites" (artificial bait) which I had bought somewhere on my way back east from Colorado.  Yesterday, I had my casting net ready (had to add more rope on Sunday) and I got lots of practice developing a technique for catching some of the abundant mullet running in the shallows (the little kids on Saturday made it look so easy).

After throwing quite a few "banana shaped" tosses and not getting anything, I switched the rope to my left hand where I held the net and then bit down on the weight line, held the lead line in my right and twisted and tossed over and over again until I finally had some decently shaped ovals and circles which resulted in catching a few dozen of the little mullet (they were actually bigger than I would have liked).  The sand/mud mixture on the beach had me stumbling at times and falling in the water but, that's why I had my bathing suit on (and my cellphone in the car).  Once, I even forgot to put the rope around my wrist and, of course it was my best throw and I had to go scurrying and slogging through the muddy sand to get my hands on the rope again and retrieve the catch of bait fish.

With all the comforts I needed being close at hand in the Jeep and no other anglers within a couple hundred yards, I finally got all my pole supports, chair, buckets, and coolers positioned for a few hours of fishing.  Since I had the mullet for bait, I decided not to use any of the "Fish Bites" and skipped using any of the "Gotchas" on my spin casting rig (did that Saturday with no strikes).  I had one of my small "Micro Mini Spincasters" with a Panther Martin lure still on it from fishing in Colorado so, I couldn't resist trying a dozen or more casts in the shallows as I watched the two large poles for action -- no luck on the Micro Mini with the Panther Martin.

First Keepers

After about an hour, I decided to check my bait on the smaller rod and found that something had bitten off the head of the mullet so, I rearranged the tail section on the hook and cast it back out just beyond the ripples of the mullet.  I decided to hold onto the pole and see if I could feel anything this time instead of sticking it into one of the pole supports --  and in just a few minutes, I had a nice strike and my first "fish on" that turned out to be a Crevalle Jack (not a Pompano as I originally thought).  A little bit later, I had a nice hit on the big surf casting rig and a good fight with a 17" Ladyfish jumping all around the water in front of me as soon as I set the hook -- she even broke the hook as I got her onto the beach (that had me using my hands and feet to push her farther onto the beach).

Tiger approved this message.

Then, I caught two spotted sea trout of 13 inches and 15 inches -- both of them seemed to just nibble lightly at the bait -- not strong strikers like the other two fish.  As the tide started to roll back in causing me to move my gear back up the beach, I slowly started to put things back in the Jeep around 5:15 p.m. feeling satisfied that I had enough fish to keep me and the twins happy.  Abundant sunshine is forecast for today and temps in the 70s so, guess who will be 4-wheeling on the beach again?

Bow and Arrow Campground - Yulee, FL

Arrived here yesterday afternoon and the temp was around 85 degrees -- sooo nice to reach this warm zone again.  The campground is nothing special like some of the others I stayed at last fall and winter here in Florida.  This is a step down and seems more like a bikers stronghold -- with a biker's bar in walking distance just up 17S.  There is mostly dirt and gravel here with some asphalt that has managed to survive over the many years this place must have been open.  Some rusted and old RVs look like they have been parked for at least 20 years and probably are not road worthy.

The office wasn't even open in the middle of the afternoon and another camper (who arrived just behind me) joined me in the search for the manager -- finally found him with some helpful direction from another camper way back in the farthest corner.  Steve is his name and he looks just like a twin to my cousin Gene Rogers.  He told us to just pick a spot and get set up and that the office would open again at 4:00 p.m.

Did that and paid for a month here.  Hope the fishing is better than this place is maintained.

Today, I stayed in most of the morning getting things sorted in the Jeep and switching from freshwater fishing gear to the saltwater variety.  I focused on getting Tiger and Molly comfortable before heading out to explore Amelia Island a little after noon.  I drove over to Amelia Island and went through Ferninanda Beach to the southern tip of the island where a small state park had a fishing pier and access to the beach.  For only $2, I parked and walked over and back on the fishing pier (the old bridge for the highway A1A).  Then, I walked east on the beach to a point where I could see the ocean meeting the river (the St. George river, I believe).

After the walk on the beach and hearing encouraging things about the fishing, I decided to head back to the parking lot to get my Jeep and drove onto the beach -- way easier than driving some of those roads in Colorado this past summer.  I fished for a couple hours but, only caught one Spot and a Horseshoe crab (never caught one of them before so, I asked the nearest fisherman if he had ever unhooked one before).  He hadn't but, we got the critter back in the water after cutting the hook -- and snagging my fingers a couple times with the hooks still on the line.

Looks like this man and his Jeep will be returning to that park and looking forward to catching some of the large Flounder I had been told about (5, 10 and 20 pounders).  Let's hope the talk is true.  That would be some tasty eating for me and the twins.

Another Journey Begins

First stop on my way south was Florence, SC just off I-95 and close enough to drive to Sumter where my cousin Janet and her husband Joe live.  They were my saviors last year when I came through with my pop-up in tow behind my Jeep and the power steering went out just after leaving the Smokey Mountains.  The visit then was extended because of the work needed on the Jeep and I got to enjoy the comforts of their home and their company (including some study sessions on our ancestry).  Wonderful blueberry pie and those delicious pecans of theirs -- didn't find any at the nearby stores in Florence but, am still looking.

The Florence RV Park just off I-95 at exit 169 was a nice little spot with its own fishing pond (catch and release), swimming pool, WiFi and cable (if you like watching a snowstorm).  Janet and Joe were kind enough to drive over to the campground and though I had talked of going out to eat, they were also kind enough to eat what I had prepared (a pot of pinto beans with bits of ham, corn bread muffins, and some bacon wrapped steaks from the grille accompanied by a simple salad).  A sip of Sambuca afterwards for desert (since I had not stocked up on ice cream).

When Joe and Janet arrived, I had just finished walking Tiger around and had him tied to the recliner while I enticed the duck, geese and swans over for some "Great Value" Cheddar Parmesan Snack Mix (Walmart's brand).  It was fun to watch Tiger just stay hunkered down on the recliner while the big birds came honking, quacking and squawking in close range.  Molly was mesmerized too just inside the screen door of the RV at the bottom step -- where cousin Janet tried to entice some birds closer to Molly's view.

The evening with Joe and Janet was really enjoyable and am hoping the next visit won't be over another year away -- perhaps we can meet again in Colorado or Texas??

View from my RV

The next day (Thursday), I spent readying the RV and Jeep for the trip to Florida and even found time for a couple hours of fishing in the pond just after noon.  I used that trusty little Panther Martin lure (yellow body with red spots) and had fun catching more than a half dozen fish (two large mouth bass, five small mouth bass and a couple brim).  I took a picture of the pond but, am still trying to remember where I put the camera for the trip south -- that and the remote for the bedroom TV.